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History and local charm come together to narrate Boston's role in securing American liberty.
THE LINGUISTIC guessing game played in Boston can taunt and often stump visitors: "jimmies" are what you sprinkle on your ice cream, a "grinda" will buy you a submarine sandwich, a "packie" is where you buy beer, and the city's rattling mode of public transportation is called "the T." But amid the local lingo, and around nearly every corner of Boston's winding streets, visitors will uncover lofty layers of history that narrate the birth of the United States as a nation. If your visit spans the Fourth of July, prepare for one of the most astounding fireworks displays in the nation.
The Freedom Trail
The revolutionary spirit that incited Boston's tax-weary colonists to war against Britain more than two centuries ago still haunts historic structures, wharves, graveyards, and crooked alleyways throughout the city. Preserved and managed cooperatively by federal, state, city, and private organizations, including the National Park Service, these sites comprise Boston National Historical Park. Two Park Service visitor centers, at 15 State Street and the Charlestown Navy Yard, offer maps and information on historic sites, tours, and lodging. Call 617-242-5601 for more information, or visit www.nps.gov/bost or www. thefreedomtrail.org.
For the best approach to Boston's revolutionary icons, follow the self-guided, 2.5-mile Freedom Trail-a ribbon of red bricks winding along the city's sidewalks. Begin your day at Boston Common, land that was purchased by the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634 and used among other things as a military training field, public execution site, and cattle grazing area. Regulars with the British army camped and drilled on the common, and patriots often gathered to exercise their rights of free speech. Take the red line T to Park Street or the green line to Boylston.
Overlooking Boston Common and perched on land that once belonged to the prominent John Hancock family, the "new" State House was built in 1795 by Boston architect Charles Bulfinch. The neoclassical, Federal-style building contains archives with replicas of the documents that established the commonwealth. Today, the building serves as the bustling center of Massachusetts political activity.
A meeting house in 18th-century Boston served as both a religious and community center, where locals gathered to...